Take one step inside Chocolate Therapy and it becomes readily apparent that this is not a typical candy store.

Through a large glass window one can see the kitchen where chocolatier Rick Gemme, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, works his confectionery magic. Above the window hangs a framed photograph from the comical candy conveyor belt scene from "I Love Lucy." The kitchen at Chocolate Therapy has a conveyor belt, too. It just doesn't speed out of control as if did for Lucy and Ethel.

Also, in keeping with its name, the employees at Chocolate Therapy wears scrubs. Noticing the attire upon entering the store, a customer asks, "Where's the E.R.?" Well, sir, like an emergency room, you'll receive treatment here. Unlike an emergency room, you'll enjoy it. Sure, chocolate tastes good, but owners, David and Pam Griffin, point out that chocolate, specifically dark chocolate, has health benefits.

"This is therapy with chocolate," says Pam. "It makes you happy. It makes you smile and it's good for you. It's a source of antioxidants and it's heart healthy." Adds David, "More and more data is coming out about the benefits of dark chocolate. We want to capitalize on that."

Continuing on the therapy connection, the store sells tiny pieces of chocolate in pill form and places them in a pill bottle with the label reading "prescription for joy and happiness." You can also buy a T-shirt with a message of "Keep Calm and Eat Chocolate."

For the dining-in crowd, the store also has 13 seats and room for tables where customers can enjoy their chocolate with Starbucks coffee, espresso, iced tea and other beverages. Ice cream will be coming soon.

In addition, Chocolate Therapy has applied for a wine and beer license. "Wine and chocolate make for a really outstanding combination," says Pam. "We can pair certain chocolates with certain wines and have great conversation around them."

The store also has two private rooms available for children and adult parties where attendees are given molds and can create their own chocolate treat. The rooms have been fancifully painted by the Griffins' son, John, and Sophie Steck. Both are graduates of Framingham High School and now attend the Massachusetts College of Art

The store plans to offer chocolate-making classes and a ladies night out before spring. It also can host corporate events. Bose Corp. held a get-together there recently.

The Framingham store, which debuted last month at 60 Worcester Road (Rte. 9 east in the Legal Seafood building near the Natick border), marks the second Chocolate Therapy location for the Griffins. The Framingham residents opened their first store in Dedham's Legacy Place in May 2011.

They decided to delve into the chocolate business after exploring other avenues, including a variety of franchises. David has a background in manufacturing, Pam's is in retail, specifically at Starbucks.

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"We wanted to do something for ourselves," says David. "We both had retail experience and chocolate is a $7 billion business. I thought we could make a go of it. I even looked at a chocolate franchise. I liked the operation. I liked the concept. But when I brought samples of the product back to the chocolate snobs - Pam's co-workers at Starbucks - they weren't impressed. So I decided to learn about chocolate myself. Instead of a franchise, I felt I could run the business more cost effectively on my own and have much more control over the product."

To further his education and chocolate creating skills, David took a class at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts under Chef Delphin Gomes. "I would be making samples in the class and giving them to my wife on Wednesday nights," says David. "And on Thursday, people would be lined up outside my office at Starbucks," says Pam. Continues David, "That's when we knew we were on to something based on that kind of feedback. When we opened the doors in Dedham and people started coming in and sampling the chocolates, the reaction was the same."

Says Pam, "A lot of our customers are comparing our chocolate to the chocolate they had in Europe." Adds David, "The greatest compliment we can receive is when Europeans come in here and like our chocolate. That's the standard."

The Griffins chose Legacy Place for their first locale because they liked the foot traffic there. They chose Framingham because they wanted to expand their operation. "We needed more space to do what we wanted to do," says Pam. "This is the original concept."

In Framingham, Chocolate Therapy houses two glass cases. The first contains 25 signature line chocolates handmade on the premises. The second case contains 25 chocolates from vendors in Norton, Walpole, Winchester and New Jersey. "Our signature line is mainly dark chocolate," says Pam. "Our vendors use more milk chocolate."

The signature line chocolates come with interesting names such as Gianduja (hazelnuts and dark chocolate), the Cure (cayenne, cinnamon, bay leaf and dark chocolate), Gen Mai Cha (green tea, brown rice and white chocolate), Pom Balm (pomegranate and dark chocolate), Refresh (ginseng, fresh ginger and milk chocolate) and Aristaeus (cold-pressed olive oil and dark chocolate). For the uninitiated, Aristaeus, according to Greek myth, was the deity who taught mankind how to cultivate olives.

"The goal here is to create a memorable chocolate experience," says David.

Says Pam, "What lead us to believe we could grow this business is that everyone who has tasted our chocolates has responded with oohs and aahs and oh-my-gods. For one thing, the chocolates are well balanced. When it says pistachio or caramel, you're going to get a balanced flavor. One will not overpower the other."

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Adds David, "There's some science to this. For example, there's a thin shell around the ganache. You shouldn't have to chew a lot to have the flavor released. The best way to accomplish that is with a thin shell and a soft center." And having quality chocolate is crucial, the Griffins stress. Theirs comes from Belgium.

In addition to the two stores and online, Chocolate Therapy sells its sea salt caramel and truffles wholesale at Roche Bros. in Wellesley and Sudbury Farms.

"One day a man came into our Dedham store and he had our No. 1 seller, the sea salt caramel," recalls Pam. "He was really enjoying it, I could tell. He then asked if we were interested in wholesaling. My husband said we would be. So he left his card. The man was the president of Roche Bros. - Gary Pfeil."

Says David, "We have a product that's different. It's the same price point as another high-end chocolate (that shall go nameless), but it's not the same experience. Their coating is thicker."

He says sales are up 20 percent compared to last year. Chocolate Therapy also took first place in the New England Dessert Showcase in September.

At the counter, a few days before Christmas, Stephanie Childs of Natick purchases a gift box at the store. "I'm looking for a gift for my husband's boss," she says. "He's a fan of dark chocolate. I thought this would be something new and fresh."

If the boss reacts to the chocolate like so many people do, her husband may get a raise. Now wouldn't that be sweet.

Chocolate Therapy's website is ctsweetremedies.com. The website and Facebook page are managed by the Griffins' daughter, Kelcy.